CHICAGO, Sep 19, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H) today announced that it is evolving its extended-stay brand into a distinctive new hotel concept - Hyatt House^TM - that will redefine the segment into a social and contemporary environment to help guests feel connected, welcome, and at home. As part of the unveiling, Hyatt announced it would rebrand to Hyatt House its entire portfolio of 38 Hyatt Summerfield Suites(R) hotels, as well as 16 Hotel Sierra(R) hotels that Hyatt recently acquired from LodgeWorks, L.P.

Inspired by extensive research and consumer insights, Hyatt House seamlessly combines form and function to create a warm, inviting, and comfortable environment. Upon arrival, guests are encouraged to relax with design elements and amenities that feel closer to home, allowing them to easily connect with others through enhanced social spaces.

"We looked very closely at the way extended-stay guests live their lives today and built a strong, innovative concept based on those needs," said Mark S. Hoplamazian, president and chief executive officer of Hyatt Hotels Corporation. "We've created what we believe will be a very successful concept - one that is social and sophisticated, yet casual and comfortable, and really allows guests to feel like residents of a connected neighborhood and community. I'm confident that with Hyatt House, we have the opportunity to repeat the same success we've had with Andaz and Hyatt Place, which have redefined their categories since their introduction."

Signature Elements: A Little Closer to Home

Working in collaboration with architecture and interior design firm Stonehill & Taylor, every Hyatt House will combine details that surprise and delight with unexpected touches that warmly welcome guests.

"We are thrilled to be working with Hyatt to create signature design elements that truly capture the essence of the Hyatt House brand," said Michael Suomi, principal at Stonehill & Taylor. "We've helped bring to life a new design that mirrors the way people live in their own homes today and raises expectations on what hotel living can be."

Hyatt House signature elements include:

Engaging Social Spaces: Each Hyatt House willfeature a Great Lounge, a multi-purpose area with distinct spaces featuring new signature chairs with built-in digital plugs and gadget resting spots, an oversized social sectional, and a glass-enclosed game room equipped with a state-of-the-art home entertainment system, a pool table, and more. Inspired by the way the kitchen is the heart of any home and revolves around cooking, conversation, and entertainment, the Great Lounge will feature the H Bar, an integrated island that transforms from a breakfast bar in the morning to a cocktail bar in the evening with small plates, providing a place to gather with colleagues, friends and family. Each Hyatt House will provide an extension of its social spaces with a unique backyard concept, complete with a built-in kitchen and conversation area centered around a signature fire pit.

Apartment-Style Suite Design: Hyatt House will feature studio, one- and two-bedroom kitchen suites that are reminiscent of a well-appointed, urban residence designed with extended-stay travelers' needs in mind. Residence-like touches include peek-a-boo cabinets in the kitchen for quick location of items and an entryway hall tree, a hotel's version of a mud room where guests can hang keys, coats, umbrellas, and other items. Each suite will also feature a multi-tasking island where guests can prepare a meal, watch TV, or work on their laptop.

Customized Food and Beverage: In addition to a large spread of savory, sweet, and healthy items,Hyatt House guests will enjoy an Eggs Your Way complimentary breakfast where they will be able to order eggs and toppings any way they would like from the chef preparing them fresh each morning. There will also be a daily Open House with high quality food and drinks at happy hour prices offered seven days a week from 5 to 10 p.m. in sync with the schedules of today's travelers.

The redesigned guest market will offer traditional and gourmet groceries and other items for purchase. Personal shopping services will also be available, giving all guests a chance to easily have their refrigerators stocked with food and comfort items.

"Hyatt House is designed to stand out from other hotels in the select-service and extended-stay category, which will make us more attractive for developers in markets all over the world who want to add preferred brands to their portfolios," said Hoplamazian. "Expansion of our select-service brands globally is key to achieving our vision of serving as the preferred brand for frequent travelers."

In addition to its 54 extended-stay hotels currently open in the U.S., Hyatt has additional properties in this segment under development in key markets in North America, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia.

A Familiar Name With a New Look

The name Hyatt House was selected as an identifier that signals a residential, welcoming, personal and hospitable experience. Hyatt House also has historical significance as the name of the first Hyatt hotel, which opened in 1957.

The new logo, an iconic double lowercase/uppercase "H" with a curved square flag in a bold blue hue, was chosen as distinctive in the category but connected to the overall Hyatt brand.

"Every signature element in the Hyatt House model departs from the traditional extended-stay experience to meet the needs of today's consumers, in particular those frequent travelers looking for a strong community environment," said John Wallis, global head of marketing and brand strategy for Hyatt Hotels Corporation. "This fresh, innovative concept, based on extensive consumer research, will make Hyatt House a standout among extended-stay hotels and will make life away from home for guests easier and more enjoyable."

Hyatt Summerfield Suites hotels and Hotel Sierra hotels are expected to complete their name and signage changes by early 2012. Service upgrades and remodeling are expected to occur over the course of the next year to incorporate Hyatt House signature elements into each property.

For more information on Hyatt House hotels, visit www.hyattdevelopment.com.

About Hyatt Hotels Corporation

Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company with a proud heritage of making guests feel more than welcome. Thousands of members of the Hyatt family strive to make a difference in the lives of the guests they encounter every day by providing authentic hospitality. The Company's subsidiaries manage, franchise, own and develop hotels and resorts under the Hyatt(R), Park Hyatt(R), Andaz(R), Grand Hyatt(R), Hyatt Regency(R), Hyatt Place(R)and Hyatt Summerfield Suites(R) brand names and have locations on six continents. Hyatt Summerfield Suites is being rebranded as Hyatt House^TM.Hyatt Residential Group, Inc., a Hyatt Hotels Corporation subsidiary, develops, operates, markets or licenses Hyatt Residences^TM and Hyatt Vacation Club(R),which is changing its name to Hyatt Residence Club^TM. As of June 30, 2011, the Company's worldwide portfolio consisted of 456 properties in 44 countries. For more information, please visit www.hyatt.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release, which are not historical facts, are "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.These statements include statements about our plans, strategies, financial performance, prospects or future events and involve known and unknown risks that are difficult to predict.As a result, our actual results, performance or achievements may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "may," "could," "expect," "intend," "plan," "seek," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "continue," "likely," "will," "would" and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions.Such forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by us and our management, are inherently uncertain.Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among others, the rate and pace of economic recovery following the recent economic downturn; levels of spending in business and leisure segments as well as consumer confidence; declines in occupancy and average daily rate; hostilities, including future terrorist attacks, or fear of hostilities that affect travel; travel-related accidents; changes in the tastes and preferences of our customers; relationships with associates and labor unions and changes in labor law; the financial condition of, and our relationships with, third-party property owners, franchisees and hospitality venture partners; risk associated with potential acquisitions and dispositions and the introduction of new brand concepts; changes in the competitive environment in our industry and the markets where we operate; outcomes of legal proceedings; changes in federal, state, local or foreign tax law; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; general volatility of the capital markets and our ability to access the capital markets. A more complete description of these risks and uncertainties can be found in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K.We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which are made as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to update publicly any of these forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, new information or future events, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable laws.If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.

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SOURCE: Hyatt Hotels Corporation

Hyatt Hotels Corporation
Laurie Cole, +1-312-780-5935
laurie.cole@hyatt.com
Jamie Zimmerman, +1-312-780-6070
jamie.zimmerman@hyatt.com